1
as in to frown
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
years of accumulated grime have darkened the painting until it can barely be seen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to mar
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of darken
Handles and drawer pulls darken over time, along with vintage hooks, light switches, doorknobs, and more.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
Some grayish pieces—likely darkened by smoke—are original; lighter plaster prosthetics fill in missing places.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
But the bigger picture for Iran’s oil revenue is darkening as other potential buyers hang back.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
The general outage follows an incident on Sunday when another failure darkened several provinces in eastern Cuba due to a transmission line failure.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
Some grayish pieces—likely darkened by smoke—are original; lighter plaster prosthetics fill in missing places.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
But the bigger picture for Iran’s oil revenue is darkening as other potential buyers hang back.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
The general outage follows an incident on Sunday when another failure darkened several provinces in eastern Cuba due to a transmission line failure.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken
Verb
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That wasn’t something that was frowned upon.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Japan was in a deep recession, but Uniqlo kept growing, offering bargains for the struggling masses and discretion for better-off consumers in an era that frowned upon conspicuous consumption.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After a pause, the composition takes on a searching quality, as the melody travels from one instrument to the next, including a compelling viola solo performed by principal viola Maiya Papach, eventually fading out to nothing, leaving the audience suspended in uneasy quiet.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
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The long-standing expectation was that these resonance signals would fade and become negligible as the momentum transfer increased.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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A smoke screen to obscure an unprecedented consolidation of power and unitarian intimidation and coldly antithetical to any experiment in a constitutional republic governance.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers earned a win against the rival San Francisco Giants on Thursday, but that was obscured by some breaking news that the team released shortly before the game.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The disruptions come amid a WNBA season in which multiple games were marred by the objects making appearances on the court.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Each death was devastating to relatives and friends left behind, and the first decades of the twentieth century were marred by individual grief on a global scale.—
Alice Vernon
September 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gen Zers report doomscrolling social media—a habit more likely to feed their worries than fix them—or staring at the TV.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
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Platitudes and rhetoric aside, the truth is California is staring at a near-term gasoline shortfall, driven largely by the pending closure of two refineries, the highest operating costs in the nation and decades of falling in-state production.—
Michael Mische,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The menu is global and playful, yet reliable, with some classic North American restaurant staples (hummus, $21, fish tacos, $23 for two, and Cajun blackened chicken, $39) and some Asian and Latin American inspired dishes (sake glazed Chilean seabass, $51, truffle udon carbonara, $27).—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
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Some discolored areas on the bones that were not charred may have been blackened by smoke exposure, according to the study.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Posters on view in the show reveal how Mussolini turned to art and advertising to reiterate and spread his cause, blurring lines between propaganda and art.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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That mission was amplified throughout the show, which blurred the lines between runway, cultural tribute, and spiritual homecoming.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden being the clear favorites for gold in the 100-meter dash, there are a few others besides Fraser-Pryce who could spoil the party.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Instead, the couple is content to spoil their dog, Bimini, a mini Labradoodle whom Berk first introduced on his Instagram in 2021.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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